‘We need to consider why Shein is a disruptor that delivers more than £1bn in annual UK sales’

Shein’s admission last week of two cases of child labour in its supply chain and failure to pay the minimum wage will fan the already raging fire surrounding its proposed London Stock Exchange listing.

With an IPO rumoured to be announced as soon as next month, we need to consider the uncomfortable truth surrounding the fast fashion brand’s meteoric growth. And that is that it’s a product of our engrained consumer society.

“The consumer industry – manufacturers, marketers, advertisers, tech companies and retailers alike – has spent decades training people to be rampant consumers”

Ultimately, the consumer industry – manufacturers, marketers, advertisers, tech companies and retailers alike – has spent decades training people to be rampant consumers.

Difficult though it is to admit, particularly when so much innovative work is going on in the fashion sector around circularity, supply chain transparency and carbon emissions reduction, Shein exceeds consumer expectations for its core customer base.

These expectations are the outcome of a drive throughout the world to sell more stuff to more people in order to make money, create jobs and boost economies. One in which the entire consumer ecosystem has to acknowledge it has some part to play.

Despite the significantly ramped-up education around sustainability and ethical trading, Shein’s popularity is proof that in some cases this education is barely registering, particularly among its target demographic.

“For the Shein shopper, budget will win over sustainability every time. They’re not kept awake pondering the ethical origins of the clothes on their backs”

In Retail Week analysis last year we worked with brand consultancy CACI to unearth who exactly is the Shein shopper. A third of Shein’s customer segment is within the 18-44 age group and often comprises single-parent families with three or more children at home, on lower incomes and potentially managing debt.

For these people, budget will win over sustainability every time. They’re not kept awake pondering the ethical origins of the clothes on their backs. They’re kept awake by worries about how to feed and clothe their families.

Meanwhile, among Shein’s armies of Gen Z and Gen A fans – literally kept awake at night by the pinging of their mobile phones – it’s a destination that appeals to their bank accounts. Teach the next generation about money management and give them a strict budget and they’ll choose a £2.50 dress over a £20 one any day – providing they look good.

It’s also worth challenging the progress that is being lauded around shifts in consumer behaviour. Research suggests that shoppers are more sustainably minded than ever before – even the younger generations. I’d contest that. As would Shein’s sales numbers.

Teenage brains, with their under-developed prefrontal cortexes, are famously lacking in empathy and rational thought. They live for today. Tomorrow at best. I applaud those who are sustainably minded, but in my household I’ve witnessed forks being thrown in the bin because the dishwasher seems a stretch too far.

If you directly ask someone in a piece of research if they care about the planet, chances are they’ll reply yes (you’d have to be sociopathic to say or think otherwise). However, there is likely to be a delta between what people say, and values are likely to be compromised, when confronted with need or desire.

“Shein delivers on price – by whatever means necessary, for those with little money. The  question is whether those consumers really need that product in the first place”

Shein’s explosion onto the fashion scene is awkward and uncomfortable to watch. It detracts from the brilliant efforts and innovation going on in retail to increase circularity and reduce carbon footprint. It’s disappointing that amid the launch of progressive, sustainable brands that are emerging, Shein continues to grab market share. It feels like a backwards step in progress towards a better, more sustainable retail future.

But we need to consider why. Shein is a disruptor that delivers to the tune of more than £1bn in annual UK sales. It delivers on price – by whatever means necessary, for those with little money. It delivers on product.

The bigger question that remains is whether those consumers really genuinely need that product in the first place. This is a question that cannot be levelled at Shein alone. Consumption is addictive and we have all played a role in creating addicts. Moreover, many of the reasons behind Shein’s growth are systemic societal issues – of which the task of addressing feels Herculean in scale.